history 111

What was confederate soldiers fighting for

I would like to know what the confederate solider were fighting for in the civil war

they were fighting to keep millions enslaved,raped,families broken up,all because they were so cheap. of course the majority didnt know this as the majority didnt own slaves,so that means they didnt really know what they were fighting for which makes this all the more sadder. with the slave trade stopped did you know it wasnt uncommon for masters to impregnent the slave women to father more slaves,their own blood was given to slavery,their own sons and daughters into slavery.

Sue,

The answer above by d------ is so patently biased and inflammatory (not to mention just plain false on numerous points) I'm not even gonna even bother to reply to it.

Your question however deserves an answer.

By "the confederate soldier" I assume you mean the "rank and file". In other words the men who did the actual killing and much of the dying. Every man has his own reasons for risking all but most CS soldiers fought for the same reason any man would when his country is invaded- to defend his home and family.

"Oh, Polly! Oh, Polly! It's for your sake alone,
I left my dear old father, my country and my home"

oh and i guess your remarks on abraham lincoln were not patently biased and inflammatory not to mention just plain false

i find in my studies on the war,it would seem to be best to ask each indiviual who fought that question.not the drafted ones but the first volunteers.i wonder how many different answers there might be,states rights,tariff issues,defence of slavery against the abolitionists,defending the homeland,peer pressure not just one answer but perhaps many,i dont know. in the north i guess they went to war at first because the confederates fired on a federal fort and really believed a rebellion was happening.

I am sure that in the beginning most soldiers that volunteered for the union did out of simple patriotism (and perhaps out of a sense of adventure), The longer the war went on however the more likely they (and foreigners and Southerners) were to do it for monetary gain.Remember there were at least 500,000 foreign born troops and probably 200,00 "southerners" in the federal army. Many joined specifically for the "bounty"

From 1861 to 1865 the federal government, along with states and localities, paid about $750,000,000 in recruitment bounties. Congress authorized a $100 bounty in July 1861 to men enlisting for three years. With the passage of the Enrollment Act (March 3, 1863), three-year enlistees received $300 and five-year recruits got $400, but these sums were divided up and paid in monthly installments with the soldiers’ regular compensation.

The states and localities offered higher bonuses. Since the federal draft applied only to congressional districts unable to meet their manpower quotas, wealthy districts would often pay in excess of $1,000 to volunteers from poorer districts in order to entice these men to enlist. The poorer districts were thus inequitably affected by the draft because their volunteers were not counted toward their quotas.

Now $300 or even $1000 doesn't sound like much incentive for risking your neck for someone else's government. But a private's pay was only $13 a month at the time. The feds were offering anywhere from 2 to 6 years EXTRA pay on top of that! If you were a half starved Irishman or a poor white "southerner" that would sound pretty good!

Well meself and a hundred more,
to America sailed o'er
Our fortunes to be made we was thinkin'
When we landed in Yankee land,
they put a rifle in me hands
Sayin "Paddy, you must go and fight for Lincoln"

douch I think you need to study your history more. You are wrong on several points.

Most of these people were fighting for there right to live there lives as they see fit. Most never own a slave. I think alot of people need to study there history more.